It takes quite an ambitious story to come roaring out the gates of the innovation of integrated sound in film and leave such a massive impact on history. Lewis Milestone's All Quiet on the Western Front did just that, however, and this movie proves to be one of the greatest lasting examinations into the absolute tragedies and trauma of war. Only about a decade fresh from WWI, these American filmmakers have crafted such an extensively impactful and actually interesting look at how soldiers from all around the world share in the pain of going to war while still maintaining their audience in exciting ways that they had never seen before to this scale. I adored practically everything about this film, from the colossal set pieces to the personal and affecting performances, yet there is so much to praise about this movie that has most likely been said thousands of times before. Even though I think its runtime was a bit too lengthy and could have used some tightening up, it is hard to ignore the sheer spectacle of this incredible film.
A group of young, German men are recruited by a professor in college to go fight in World War I and upon them enlisting, quickly realize that it's not what they expected. Centered around a man named Paul (Lew Ayres), the men go from training to warfare to time home to back at war and over the course of a few years, their numbers are dwindled down and those that are left are crippled by the exhausting terrors of what they have experienced. The script from George Abbott (among many other contributors) and the direction from Lewis Milestone are what truly make this war film unlike other, typical ones that audiences have seen before. This movie, within its first few minutes, reaches heights that I would have never guessed a film from 1930 could, and from the get-go, I was blown away. Right off the bat, this film discusses the hardships that come with going to war and the terrible treatment soldiers receive despite risking their lives for their country. Even for being this early in the era of "talkie" pictures, this film has some of the most innovative and heartwrenching plot points that really put the pressure on its audience to have a conversation about the realities of war. And it does so in the most extravagant ways possible, with some incredible war scenes and ginormous battle sequences. What I loved most about Milestone's direction, however, was the minuscule bits of humanity that he sprinkles in. While many war films focus on a central protagonist and how they exhibit humanity in the face of war, All Quiet on the Western Front is almost 100% horror but in the scenes such as the passing of the water or the butterfly on the boot, Milestone still manages to remind us of the personalities of these men. Just from the scenes in which Paul is ignored by generals who have never stepped foot on the battlefield and then when he confronts his former professor about why it's dangerous for these young boys, so much is told just through these interactions. Generals had no idea what it was actually like for soldiers out there and the professors whose jobs were essentially recruitment officers had no idea what they were preparing these boys for and even then, they chose not to heed Paul's warnings.
Along with showing unrelenting fear in the face of battle, this vehemently anti-war film does a fantastic job of representing how elected people and higher-ups will really do anything to maintain their status without knowing the harm they are doing to people below them. And Paul is a great character to carry this grief with, which makes their interactions that much more compelling. I was genuinely flabbergasted at how well-executed this film's emotions are and while I was not prepared for how many themes this story touches upon, they were happily accepted. Milestone and Abbott also work together to tell an unspoken story very well and I was surprised at how modern this pacing of character development felt. So much of the dialogue was laid out early on in the film regarding how the characters were feeling in certain scenes and while that might have been one of my only issues with the film, it works better much later to help out the plot. Later on in the film after the audience has been exposed to these characters just blatantly discussing how they internally feel, there are silent scenes or introspective shots that really force the audience to decipher those same emotions. I absolutely loved how Milestone laid this out and while it was not only compelling to watch, it was decently challenging for the audience. So many of these internal monologues and emotions are portrayed through the performances by Louis Wolheim, John Wray, Arnold Lucy, and especially the lead Ayres. All of these men were exceptional actors and they embodied their roles very well. My favorite part of the film, however, was the cinematography from Arthur Edeson and Karl Freund. So many moving and energetic shots riddled the screen like the bullets that killed so many of these men and I loved the way that they use the camera to reveal tidbits of information about the story. This really helped to enhance the plot and did so in a fantastic, visual fashion.
There is never anything subtle when it comes to the tragedies of war in All Quiet on the Western Front but that honestly makes it the monumental film that it has become. I loved how relentless this movie was from its actual war scenes to its terrifying emotions and Milestone really holds nothing back when it comes to getting his anti-war message across. I never would have thought that a film like this would have been allowed to be released so soon after the first World War and in the midst of international tensions but if there was ever a movie to best display the atrocities of war so early on in the history of film, I'm glad it was this one.
My Rating: ★★★★
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